Improved flour-sifter



`which- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY `LOOKE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPRovED FLoUR-slF-rEn.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 48,571, dated July4,1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY LOGKE, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, `have invented a new and useful or ImprovedMachine for Siftin g Flour, Squashes,

l 811e; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in vthefollowing specification and represented in the accompanying drawings,oi'

Figure l denotes a side elevation, Fig. 2 a top view,and Fig. 3 atransverse and vertical section, of my improved machine, such sectionbeing taken through one set of its radial arms.

The nature of my invention consists in so constructingand arranging thewings or curved bars attached to the radial arms that when thedriving-sh aft is turned in one direction the said win gs shall simplyscrape the concave surface of the sieve and gently force the our orarticle in such sieve through its meshes, while whenthe shaftlisrevolved in the opposite direction the said wings will operate withgreat power in forcing the article to besifted through the openings ofthe sieve.

It is a fact well known that inV sifting meal and other powderedarticles but very little power is required to eii'ect such object,whilein sifting squashes, pumpkins,turnips, and some other vegetablesgreat forceis requisite to press them through the sieve. 4

To produce a machine which shall combine both these qualities, or beadapted to effect the sifting of both the finer and coarser articles, isthe object of my invention.

In the drawings,A denotes a pyramidal box or hopper, (in which thearticle to be sifted is to be placed,) the same bein g supported uponfour legs, B B B B. To the lower end of the said box a curvedsemi-eylindrical sieve, O, is attached, the same being as shown in Figs.2 and 3. A drivingshaft, D, formed rectangular in tranverse section,extends longitudinally through the said sieve, and has its journalssupported by the leg-frames a a, the said shaft having a crank, E, bywhich, by power properly applied, it may be putin revolution.

` F F denote two metallic hubs,(arranged upon the shaft D,) from each ofwhich two or any l other suitable number of curved or radial arms,

b b, extend, the same having the form as shown in longitudinal sectionin Fig. 3.

G Gr are two curved wings, bars, or Scrapers, which are applied to theouter extremities ot' the arms b b b b, the said wings being soconstructed and applied to the said arms that while the former may berevolved in one direction the front face of each ot' such win gs shalllightly sweep in contact with the concave su.r. face of the sieve, butwhile bein g revolved in the opposite direction the forward or frontedges oi' the wings will stand at an angle of about fortyve degrees tothe lowered ges, whereby spaces Y or chambers will be formed, in whichthe article to be sifted will be crowded and pressed with great forceagainst and through themeshes of 'the sieve.

It will be evident that four wings or Scrapers might be used instead oftwo, if desirable.

By giving to the wings the spiralor curved form, as above set forth, themore tenacious matters to be sifted are hetterand more quickly reducedand sifted, and such matters are not so liable to adhere to the wings asif the latter were so constructed and arranged that their paths ofrevolution were concentric with the curved surface of the sieve.

Amachneconstructedin the above-described improved manner is one of greatutility and value for the purpose for which itis intended,

it being not only simple in construction and effective in operation, butlittle liable to get out of order.

I claim- My improved sifting apparatus, having its wings or serapers GGr constructed and applied to the arms b b b b and so as to operate withthe sieve in the manneras set forth.

HARVEY LOOKE.

Witnesses F. P. HALE, J r., Gr. H. WASHBURNE.

